Carlisle

After several different venues over the years, Carlisle Golf Club moved to its current location in the 1930s, and it remains a cracking layout to this day.

Major Charles MacKenzie designed the original layout, with Philip MacKenzie Ross then altering that design a decade later.

In recent years, Regional Qualifying for the Open Championship has been held at Carlisle, becoming the first club in Cumbria to achieve that feat.

Visit Carlisle’s website here.

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The history of the Carlisle Golf Club dates back to the 1880s, when a 9-holer was established in the city. There would be a number of different venues over the next five decades, before the club eventually settled in Aglionby.

1895 saw the club partner up with Silloth, creating the Carlisle and Silloth Golf Club; golfers played in Silloth in the summer, and in Carlisle in the winter. After time at Durran Hill, Aglionby was selected as the current location for Carlisle Golf Club in 1936.

Major Charles MacKenzie created the original design of the golf course, with Theodore Moon and Philip MacKenzie Ross both making alterations across the next decade.

Former Club Professional Sydney Scott – who was at Carlisle for 12 years in the 1940s and 1950s – was twice a top five finisher at the Open Championship and played in the Ryder Cup for Team GB&I in 1995 at Thunderbird.

The layout at Carlisle Golf Club is a mature parkland, one with tree-lined fairways and plenty of bunkers, some of which has been recently worked on to give them the MacKenzie Ross feel once more. Three par 5s and four par 3s give Carlisle a par of 71, but it is not the longest course, measuring just over 6,200 yards. That is not to say that it won’t test every aspect of your game though!

It is a tricky start to a round at Carlisle, even though the 1st is only 375 yards. It is a dog-leg left, and the longer hitters might fancy taking the corner on. Most will stay down the right side, before aiming to find a green guarded by three bunkers. The first of the quartet of short holes comes at the 2nd. It is 185 yards from the tips, and there are bunkers either side of the long putting surface. At 420 yards, the 3rd is one of the longest par 4s on the property. It does have a generous fairway, though, but the green is narrow, and requires an accurate approach. Another par 3 comes at the 4th, this time less than 140 yards. Water is on the left, with three bunkers on the right. The green is long, very long, which can change the yardage considerably. A tricky green means two-putting is not necessarily easy.

The 5th is drivable for the longer hitters at just 280 yards. However, a large bunker sitting in the centre of the fairway must be avoided, so the play might be to lay up shy of that before knocking a wedge on to the putting surface. 6 is another hole with a generous fairway, playing slightly downhill. Another long green, one that is two-tiered, has plenty of trees down its left side. The 420-yard par 4 7th is the hardest hole on the front side at Carlisle, playing as a slight dog-leg left around the trees. Although slightly shorter, the 8th could also be seen as playing as difficult. The green is elevated from the fairway, and it is also three-tiered, making it very tricky to judge the right distance for your approach. The last hole on the front nine is the first of the par 5s. The 9th comes in at 490 yards, with a ditch halfway down there, running across the fairway. Avoid that, and there is a chance of making it to the putting surface with your second.

The tee shot on 10 is played through a funnel of trees to a rather wide fairway, but there is a row of four bunkers on the right side of the landing zone. Again, the green is a tricky prospect, so make sure you find the right portion. The Stroke Index 1 hole comes next at 11. Playing as a sharp dog-leg left, the tee shot is purely for positional play. Make sure you get to the corner, so you then have a view of the green, which is incredibly undulating. Longer hitters will fancy their chances on the modest par 5 12th. It is just 480 yards in length, but there is a ditch around 200 yards from the green that needs to be avoided.

The 13th is the club’s signature hole. Just 135 yards, a mid to low iron is all that is required, but it is a small target to aim at, one surrounded by trees and six bunkers. 14 has a narrow fairway, with two bunkers on the right side of the landing zone from the tee. The green is guarded well by sand, but it is another that is very undulating. The 15th is the longest hole on the property at more than 550 yards. It is a true three-shotter, thanks to a pair of streams running across the fairway to split it into three sections.

The tough closing stretch begins with the longest par 4 on the course – the 16th. It is 435 yards in length, and has out of bounds running down both sides. A large tree sits in the middle of the fairway, so try to avoid that with your tee shot. The penultimate hole is the most testing of the par 3s. It is only 160 yards, but with a water hazard to the left of the green, and a sand trap to the right, there is plenty of danger. Carlisle’s finale is a good scoring opportunity, but there is out of bounds down the right side for anything pushed too far. Find the fairway, and you can attack the triangular-shaped green. Make sure to check which portion the flag is in before working out which club to hit.

Where is Carlisle Golf Club located?

As the name of the venue suggests, Carlisle Golf Club is located by the city of Carlisle, in the northern English county of Cumbria. It is next to the village of Aglionby, with the golf course sitting just three miles from the centre of Carlisle. The club sits just off the A69, with the M6 running no more than a mile away to the west.

Carlisle Station is three miles from the golf club, and the stations operates serval train services on a north-south basis, with services running up to Glasgow Central and Edinburgh, and south to Manchester and London Euston, among plenty of other destinations. Newcastle International Airport is the closest major airport to Carlisle, around an hour’s drive to the east – some 55 miles away. Glasgow, Edinburgh and Manchester Airports are all around two hours from the venue.

Are there any NCG Top 100s: England venues nearby?

With Brampton sitting in the centre of the country, it is some distance from the nearest venues on the NCG Top 100s: England list. Silloth on Solway is 25 miles to the west, with Seascale almost 55 miles away. Seaton Carew, Goswick and Dunstanburgh Castle are within 100 miles to the northeast.

What golf facilities does Carlisle Golf Club offer?

Along with the stunning 18-hole course, Carlisle Golf Club is also the home to some amazing practice facilities. There is a full-length driving range, sitting between the 9th, 16th and 18th holes, which has both covered and outdoor bays. There is a short game area next to the range, as well, along with a putting green next to the clubhouse.

What are the green fees at Carlisle Golf Club?

The price of a green fee at Carlisle Golf Club changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend.

For more information on current green fees at Carlisle, visit their website here.